Brick or briquet machine.



No. 792,153. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905. P. MQKINNON.

BRICK OR BRIQUET MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19,1904.

2 SHEETSSHIIET 1.

[NVEATOR No. 792,153. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905. P. MoKINNON.

BRICK OR BRIQUET MACHINE;

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19,1904.

7 2 SHEETS-SHEET '2.

6 8 By 7 I 7 W UNITED STATES Patented June 13, 1905.

PETER MOKINNON, OF SOUTH BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

BRICK OR BRIQUET MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,153, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed ly 19,1904. Serial No. 217,220.

To all 7077,0772 it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER MOKINNON, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Berkeley, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brick or Briquet Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for making bricks for building purposes and briquets for fire-kindling purposes, and more espe cially to that type of machine employing a rotary mold-wheel and an endless chain of plungers; and the object of the invention is to provide means whereby the clay is well forced into the molds before the plungers act thereupon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine in which all of the parts will be driven from one shaft, thus economizing power and space.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the plungers are gradually forced into the mold-wheel from their point of entrance to the point of their greatest pressure, avoiding the usual fault in brick-111achinesthat of too rapid or too sudden compression.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a mold-wheel which always insures the centering of the plungers and which obviates the provision of timing mechanism to insure the position of the plungers.

The invention consists generally of arotary mold-wheel having mold-apertures in its periphery which are adapted to receive the material to be compressed and an endless chain of plungers working in said mold-apertures and compressed by hydraulic-pressure devices adapted to engage the endless chain of plungers.

The invention further consists in a hopper provided with a screw conveyer through the central portion of which and in axial alinement therewith is a reciprocating plunger adapted to clamp the clay or other material well into the mold before the compressing action takes place by the plungers.

The invention further consists in the novel features and combination of parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings which form a part of this application, Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of the machine, omitting certain parts which only tend to make this figure confusing; and Fig. 3, a section of Fig. 1.

Referring more specially to the drawings, 1 represents the framework, upon which is supported the brick-molding mechanism,and journaled upon a stationary shaft within said frame is a mold-wheel 2, provided with peripheral flanges 3, having within their edges oblong notches 4. The periphery of the mold-wheel is provided with mold-apertures 5, which hold a sufficient amount of material to make the required sized brick or briquet. In the bottom of these apertures and extending through to approximately the center of the mold-wheel are pusher-bars 6, provided with plates 7 at their outer ends, which snugly fit the mold-apertures 5. The opposite end of the pusher-bars 6 is provided with an arm 8, which extends an equal distance on either side and is provided at its outer ends with rollers 9, adapted to engage a cam-groove 10, formed from an inward extension 11 of the frame 1.

Secured on the stationary shaft are several hydraulic-pressure devices 12, which receive, through pipes 13 and valves 9:, their pressure from any suitable source of supply. These hydraulic-pressure devices 12 are separated and held an equal distance apart by a framework 14, and slidably mounted upon ways 15, formed on said framework, are bearings 16, adapted to receive the extended axles 17 of pressure-rollers 18, 19, and 20, the latter of which is arranged so as to give the greatest pressure to the rotary chain of plungers, which will be described hereinafter, and the two former of which are arranged to start and gradually increase the pressure upon the material being compressed, so as to avoid any sudden pressure, which would naturally tend to jar the machinery, and consequently shorten its length of usefulness.

The framework 1 is extended somewhat above the center of the mold-wheel and is provided with a cross-bar 21, adapted to support a feed-hopper 22, which. is provided with a ball-bearing 23, upon which rotates a centrally-disposed screw conveyer 24, the lower end of which finds bearing in a projection or arm 25 inside of the hopper 22. A plunger 26 is centrally positioned within the screw conveyer 24 and receives reciprocal motion from a forked lever 27, pivoted to the hopper 22 and which is in engagement with a cam 28, journaled in an arm 29 on the hop per 22. Extending outwardly from the opposite side of the hopper 22 is an arm 30 similar to the arm 29, in which is journaled. a gearwheel 31, adapted to receive motion from the pressure-roller 18, which is geared in succession through the pressure-rollers 19 and 20 to the main shaft 32. This gearwheel 31 has mounted on its shaft a sprocketed wheel 33, on which travels an endless chain 34 of peculiarly-shaped links, each of which is provided with a plunger 35, and the protruding pintles 36, which connect the links, are adapted to engage the oblong notches 4 in the flange 3 of the mold-Wheel, thus centering the plungers 35 in the moldapertures 5. The main shaft 32 is provided with a belt-pulley 37, which conveys motion to a belt-pulley 38 by a belt 39 and, through the belt-pulley38 bya belt 40, to the pressureroller 20. tion is given to the pressure-rollers 19 and 18 and thence to the gear-wheel 31 and cam 28 through a series of belts or sprocket-chains. The main driving-shaft 32 is also provided with a gear 41., adapted to engage a gear 42, mounted upon the frame, and which gear conveys motion to a horizontal traveling conveyer 43, adapted to convey away the bricks to any desired point after they have been discharged by the mold-wheel. This gear 41 also engages a gear 47, which. is formed on a flange 48, extending outwardly from the flanged sides 3 of the mold-Wheel, and this conveys motion. to the mold-wheel simultaneously with the motion of the other parts.

The pressure devices 12 have a cylinder 44, in which. is reciprocally mounted a pistonhead 45, provided with a piston 46, to which is connected the bearing-block 16 and from which the bearing-block 16 receives its motion or pressure.

After the clay has been compressed. in the mold-wheel by the action of the screw conveyor 24 and the tamping-plunger 26, the mold-wheel traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the plungers start to enter the mold at the point marked 7 and then advance farther into the moldapertures 5, gradually increasing their pressure onv the material until they reach a point marked 2 which is directly opposite the pressure-wheel 20, where they receive their greatest pressure. From that time until the plungers are withdrawn from the mold the From the pressure-roller 20 1110- material receives no pressure whatever and in no instance receives pressure from the pusher-bars 6. As the mold-wheel advances slightly beyond the point z the rollers 9, which move in the cam-groove 10, act upon the pusher-bars 6 to force them and the molded brick outward, which is greatest when the pusher-bars 6 are in vertical position at the lowest point reached by the mold wheel. The bricks then drop out upon the conveyor 43 and are conveyed awayto a suitable point. The pusher-bars 6 are now drawn into the mold-apertures 5 by the action of the cam and when opposite the hopper 22 are ready to receive a fresh charge of material.

The mouth of the hopper extends down in between the flanges 3 of the mold-wheel to prevent the clay from being forced out through the oblong notches.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel provided with a plurality of pockets, of an endless chain of plungers one or more of which are adapted to enter the pockets, extended pintles linking said plungers together, and means on the mold-wheel for engaging said extended pintles whereby the plungers are centered in the pockets.

2. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel provided with a plurality of pockets, and an endless chain traveling over said pockets, extended pintles connecting thelinks in said chain, of relatively long plungers integral with said chain one or more of which are adapted to enter said pockets, and a peripheral flange extending beyond the pockets and provided with notches intermediate the pockets, said notches adapted to engage the pintles which connect the chain so as to center the plungers in the pockets.

3. In a brick-machine, the combination of a rotary mold-wheel having a plurality of pockets, means for positivelyfilling said pockets, means independent of said filling means for compressing the substance therein, an endless chain of plungers adapted to further compress the filling, and means for ejecting the compressed substance.

4. In a brick-machine, the combination of a rotary mold-wheel, having a plurality of pockets, means for filling said pockets, means for automatically tamping the filling and means for compressing the tamped material.

5. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel, having a plurality of pockets, of a hopper adapted to convey material to said pockets, means for forcing material into said pockets, and a reciprocating plunger adapted to tamp the material so forced into the pockets.

6. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-machine having a plu- IIO rality of pockets, of a hopper adapted to convey material to said pockets, a screw conveyer for forcing said material into the pockcts, and reciprocating means mounted within the hopper adapted to tamp said material after it is in the pockets.

7 In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel having a plurality of pockets, of a hopper adapted to convey material to said pockets, bearings mounted upon said hopper, a screw conveyer rotatably mounted within said hop er and adapted to compress the material witldin the pockets, and a reciprocating plunger mounted within said screw conveyer and adapted to tamp the material that has been forced into the pockets by the screw conveyer.

8. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel having a plurality of pockets, of a hopper adapted to convey material to said pockets, bearings on said hopper, a tubular screw conveyer mounted within said bearings and adapted to force the material to said pockets, a reciprocating plunger mounted within said tubular screw conveyer, a forked arm pivoted to said hopper and connected to said reciprocating plunger, and means for reciprocally operating said forked arm.

9. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel having a plurality of pockets therein, plungers adapted to enter said pockets, and means for maintaining a constant and resilient pressure on said plungers.

:-\ 10. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel, having a plurality of pockets, of an endless chain of plungers one or more of which are adapted to be received within said pockets, and means for gradually and resiliently forcing said plungers farther into said pockets, said means being adjustable.

11. In a brickmachine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel having a plurality of peripheral pockets, of an endless chain of plungers one or more of which are adapted to enter said pockets, a series of adjustable rollers bearing against said endless chain of plungers and adapted to resiliently and gradually increase the pressure of the plungers, and means for adjusting said rollers.

12. In a brick-machine, the combination with a rotary mold wheel provided with a plurality of peripheral pockets, of an endless chain of plungers one or more of which are adapted to enter said pockets, a series of rollers adapted to gradually increase the pressure upon said plungers, and hydraulic means for adjusting the pressure of said rollers.

13. In a brick machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel provided with a plurality of peripheral pockets, of a series of resiliently-operated pressure-rollers connected to said mold-wheel, and an endless chain of plungers carried by and adapted to be operated by said pressure-rollers.

14. In a brick machine, the combination with a rotary mold-wheel, provided with a plurality of pockets, of an endless chain of plungers one or more of which are adapted to enter said pockets, hydraulic-pressure rollers arranged at intervals over said plungers, said rollers adapted to gradually increase the pressure upon said plungers, and means for adjusting the pressure exercised by the rollers.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PETER MOKINNON. lVitnesses:

S. CAUMOUTH, J. CANILONG. 

